FAQ

Household Recycling FAQ's

Q. What is WEEE?

WEEE stands for ‘Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment’. WEEE is end-of-life electrical and electronic equipment – in simpler terms, it is anything with a plug or a battery! WEEE can range from old or broken fridge-freezers, washing machines, TVs, toasters and kettles, electronic tools and children’s toys, to smaller items such as mobile phones, cables, remote controls and even watches!

By doing so, you are reducing the amount of waste going to landfill. Recycling your WEEE rather than dumping it means that valuable resources such as metals, glass and plastics can be used again in new products resulting in less mining of raw materials.

Lots of electronic goods also contain hazardous materials like heavy metals such as lead and mercury and dangerous gases like CFCs and HGFs which can cause serious environmental damage and can also cause harm to human health. By recycling your WEEE, you are helping to protect nature and human health whilst contributing to the fight against climate change and ozone layer depletion!

Q. Why should I recycle my waste batteries?

Even items as small as household batteries can be dangerous if they are not properly disposed of. Some batteries can contain potentially hazardous materials such as mercury, cadmium and lead, which are the main cause for environmental concern. If waste batteries are not disposed of correctly, these heavy metals may leak when the battery corrodes, and so can contribute to soil and water pollution and endanger human health.

By recycling your waste batteries you are not only helping save the environment, but you are also contributing to an extremely important cause – LauraLynn Ireland’s Only Children’s Hospice.

Q. What do LauraLynn do and how can I help them?

LauraLynn are the only hospice in Ireland that care for children living with life-limiting conditions. They provide palliative care and support for children with these conditions as well as their families by allowing parents to be ‘Mum and Dad’ rather than full-time carers. You can find more information about the work they do on their website here »

LauraLynn currently receive no direct government funding for their hospice services and rely 100% on supporters to keep their hospice and hospice at home services running. LauraLynn have been WEEE Ireland’s charity partner since 2011.

Helping LauraLynn is easy, you can do so by simply recycling your batteries in the blue WEEE Ireland battery boxes that you find in your local supermarket and various retailers. Every battery recycled by the public in the blue WEEE Ireland battery boxes has gone towards a donation fund for the charity. Since 2011, with thanks to the public, WEEE Ireland has donated a staggering €285,000 to the charity.

Q. Where can I recycle my WEEE?

There are many locations around the country where you can recycle your WEEE. You can visit our Interactive Map by clicking here to view locations such as Civic Amenity Sites, Retailers, or Public Collection Days near you where WEEE can be recycled.

• Your household waste electrical items can be recycled in any Civic Amenity site/Recycling Centre around Ireland. This recycling service is free-of-charge for members of the public wishing to recycle their household WEEE.

• All retailers of electrical equipment are also obliged to take back WEEE of a similar type on a one-for-one, like-for-like basis, free of charge. As well as this, certain electrical retailers are partaking in the ‘We’ll Take It Back’ campaign – meaning they will take back your household WEEE free-of-charge with no purchase necessary. For more information on the We’ll Take It Back Retailers, please visit their website here »

• WEEE Ireland organises and promotes Public Collection Events of WEEE and waste batteries in areas which do not have convenient access to Civic Amenity sites. Any household item with a plug or battery will be accepted at these collection events – from large items such as fridges, dishwashers and tumble dryers, to small household items such as remote controls, electric toothbrushes and everything in between. It’s FREE for the general public to bring any batteries or household items with a plug or a battery for recycling.

Q. If I am getting a new EEE item delivered to my house, is the retailer obliged to take back my old one upon delivery?

Yes, if a product is being delivered you are entitled to have the old item collected at the same time for no extra cost on the same one-for-one, like for like basis. If a new product is being delivered to a customer’s home retailers cannot charge for collection of the waste equipment (although a retailer can charge a delivery fee). Retailers must give 24-hours’ notice of delivery and the old item must be clean, empty and disconnected from all utilities. If a retailer has not given 24 hours’ notice of delivery and an old appliance is not ready for collection they must return to collect it within 15 days.

If you do not wish to avail of the free collection of waste equipment on delivery of new equipment, then you can return it to the retailer’s premises at any time or recycle it at your local Civic Amenity Site free-of-charge.

Q. Where can I recycle my waste batteries?

There are thousands of locations around the country where you can recycle your waste batteries. You can visit our Interactive Map by clicking here to view locations such as Civic Amenity Sites, Retailers, or Public Collection Days near you where waste batteries can be recycled.

• All retailers that sell portable batteries (AA, AAA, Cell C, Cell D, etc.) are required to take back waste batteries from members of the public free of charge. Take-back is on a one for zero basis meaning there is no purchase necessary. All supermarkets and retailers that sell batteries within WEEE Ireland’s collection areas should have a blue WEEE Ireland battery box on their premises where you can dispose of your waste batteries and help LauraLynn!

• Your waste batteries can recycled in any Civic Amenity site/Recycling Centre around Ireland. This recycling service is free-of-charge for members of the public wishing to recycle waste batteries.

• WEEE Ireland organises and promotes Public Collection Events of WEEE and waste batteries in areas which do not have convenient access to Civic Amenity sites. Any household item with a plug or battery will be accepted at these collection, and all waste batteries will be accepted free of charge, including AA and AAA batteries, torch batteries, watch batteries, car batteries and electric fence batteries.

Q. Where can I recycle my waste lightbulbs?

There are many locations around the country where you can recycle your WEEE. You can visit our Interactive Map by clicking here to view locations such as Civic Amenity Sites, Retailers, or Public Collection Days near you where WEEE can be recycled.

• Your lightbulbs can be recycled in any Civic Amenity site/Recycling Centre around Ireland. This recycling service is free-of-charge for members of the public wishing to recycle their waste lightbulbs.

• WEEE Ireland organises and promotes Public Collection Events of WEEE and waste batteries and lightbulbs in areas which do not have convenient access to Civic Amenity sites. Any household item with a plug or battery will be accepted at these collection, and all lightbulbs will be accepted free of charge.

Q. Do WEEE Ireland collect throughout the country?

WEEE Ireland has responsibility for the collection of WEEE and waste batteries throughout its designated areas in Ireland, view PDF’s linked below to see do we collect in your county:

Q. How do WEEE recycle your WEEE?

At collection, WEEE is segregated into ‘families’ which are then sent for specific depollution and treatment processes in Ireland to divert hazardous material from landfill and from harming the environment and human health.

WEEE then undergoes multi stage recycling processes to break them into fractions of material e.g. glass, metals, plastics which can be used again in manufacturing.

Under the WEEE and Battery Directives there are targets for recovery rates and recycling efficiencies of these waste streams. WEEE Ireland strive to reach and exceed these targets every year and we report annually on the achievement of these targets.